Suspended conductor for electric railways



(No Model.)

0. J. VAN DEPOELE. SUSPENDED CONDUCTOR FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS. No..358,512. Patented Mar. 1,1887.

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" I 5513 1m flk l o'm'lmg lhvirnn Smarts CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SUSPENDED CONDUCTOR FOR ELECTRIC RAHLWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.358,512, dated March 1,1887.

Applicaiion filed Oclobcr 19, 1886. Serial No. 216,607. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. VAN DE POELE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SuspendedConductors for Electric Railways, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to improvements in the arrangement of someof the parts of the system of suspended electricrailway conductors,shown and described in Letters Patent No. 344,425, granted to me June29, 1886; and it consists in certain improved methods of arranging thecrosswires and supporting-cables on curves, whereby much greaterstability of the curved portions of the conductor is secured,and it alsorelates to and includes improved means of insulating the suspendedconductor or conductors from their supports, as will be hereinafterfully set forth. In the accompanying drawings, which form part of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a plan.

view of a portion of an electric railway arranged according to myinvention. Fig.2 is aview in elevation, on an enlarged scale, showingthe supporting-cable, insulator, hangers, and the clamp by which theinsulator is held in position. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionalelevation of the insulator. Fig. 4 is a crosssection thereof.

Similar letters denote like parts throughout.

A represents the curb-lines of intersecting streets, of which a are thesidewalks.

B are pole-pieces placed alongside the curb, and at suitable distancesapart, on opposite sides of the streets traversed by the railway, andfrom their tops extend strong cross-wires C, from which the electricconductor or conductors D, as the case may be, are suspended.

In order to give the curved portions of the conductor the requisitestability I provide the inner corner of a curve with a strong cable, d,extending some fifty or one hundred feet in 61Gb direction from a pole,B, at the corner of the street, on the inside of the curve, to otherpoles, Bflwhich should be somewhat stronger than the ordinary poles, B,to meet the greater strain put upon them. On the opposite side frompoles B, placed opposite the poles B are stretched short-cables (2,extending to corner poles, B, from which a longer cable, E, extends,spanning the space between the intersecting streets on the outside ofthe curve. A number of cross-wires, c, extend from the cables E and dacross above the curved portions of the conductor and are secured to thecables d, from which they spread out like the ribs of a fan.

F F represent anchorage-rods that are secured to the conductor orconductors D, as set forth in my patent above referred to, saidanchorage and tension devices being secured to the central insulator, f,which also partially supports the cross-cable E, and from which extends.the guy rod or cable G, which is secured to and supported by a pole, g,at the opposite street-corner.

H represents tubular insulators, which are placed upon the cross-wiresGand e, and from which the conductor or conductors are suspended by thehangers I, which consist of a longitudinallydivisible upper portion, t,from which depends an arm turned at right angles at its lower end forthe reception of a bail, J, supporting the conductor D.

The insulators H are formed by taking a tube, h, of iron, paper, wood,or other suitable material, of a size that will permit it to be easilyslipped onto the crosswire by which it is supported. tightly wrappedcovering, H, consisting of several layers of fabric thoroughly coatedwith asphaltum, shellac, varnish, or other reliable insulatingcompound,which is wound upon the tube while fresh, so that when dry a very strongand durable tubular insulator is produced,which, when placed in positionupon the cross-wire, is capable of supporting one or more of the hangersI, as indicated in Fig. 2, thereby insuring perfect insulation of thesupported conductors, and at the same time adding to the strength andsymmetry of the structure.

A clamp or clamps, K, are provided. at one or both ends of theinsulators H, and. firmly secured to the cross-wires, thereby securingthe said insulators in any desired position, and at the same timeadmitting of any desired change being easily and quickly made. It willbe noted also that the abovedescribed con- The tube h is provided withstruction of the upper portion of the hanger renders it readilyadjustable along the insulator H, to which it is secured.

Only one set of hangers is shown in Fig. 1, since there is also only oneconductor there in' dicated. In Fig. 2 is, however, shown an arrangementcomprising a double set of hangers and conductors, the position to beoccupied by a single hanger being indicated in dotted lines. It will beobvious therefore that the insulator maybe made in any desired length,and any number of sets of conductors supported therefrom. Othermodifications will naturally suggest themselves, and I do not thereforedesire to limit myself to the exact details of construction shown.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. In asuspended conductor for electricrailways, the combination of asupporting cable or cables extending along the inside of the curve, asimilar cable extending across from corner to corner on the outside ofthe curve, and two or more cross-wires extending between thesupporting-cables and provided with suspend.- ing devices upon which theconductor is supported, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a suspended conductor for electric railways, the combination,withsupporting-cables extending along the inside of the curve, asimilarsupporting-cable extending across from corner to corner on the outsideof the curve, and additional end portions extending along the curve onthe outside of the curve, and crosswires extending between thesupporting-cables across above the curved portions of the conductor, andprovided with suitable suspending devices by which it is supportedtherefrom, substantially as shown and described.

-ing wire or cable'and a'tubular insulator through which thesupporting-cable passes, of

an adjustable clamp secured to the said support for holding theinsulator in the desired position, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination of suitable supporting wire or cable, the tubularinsulator upon said support, and the two-part detachable and adjustablehanger I, secured upon said insulator, substantially as shown anddescribed.

7. The combination, with suitable crosswire, of the tubular insulator,the clamp for securing the same in position, and the adjustable hangersI, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE.

Witnesses:

J OHN EASON, WILLIAM A. STILEs.

